


Five Reasons That Peter & Jared Ended Up Making Out On Valentine's Day

by vic_amy_z



Category: Franklin & Bash
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-21
Updated: 2012-02-21
Packaged: 2017-10-31 13:24:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/344500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vic_amy_z/pseuds/vic_amy_z
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five reasons... Three Valentine's Days... One relationship...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five Reasons That Peter & Jared Ended Up Making Out On Valentine's Day

**Author's Note:**

> As they seem determined to shoehorn at least one flashback into every fic, I just let them have at it. Kinda smutty, deeply sappy, there might even be some angst in there if you squint hard enough! (I still know nothing about the American Legal System so please ignore any glaring errors.)

**Because they were just really, really drunk one time...**

There was a subdued atmosphere in the offices of Franklin & Bash that night. Peter wasn't looking forward to spending his first Valentine's Day alone since the break up with Janie, and Jared had just dumped... some girl whose name Peter had never bothered to learn because Jared had picked her up in a bar when he was drunk and she'd turned out to be monumentally dull. Not that either of them could really afford girlfriends anyway, given the eye-watering cost of all the romantic pre-requisites, like flowers, chocolates, and something fluffy and supposedly adorable. 

As a law firm, Franklin & Bash was finally bringing in enough work that they'd been able to move out of their crappy apartment and into a place that Jared had immediately dubbed _'The Man Cave'_ , but the regularity of said work meant that they occasionally had to live on cereal in order to pay the rent. They'd asked Carmen and Pindar to move in with them, seeing as they worked from there anyway, but Pindar still shuddered at the thought of moving out of his own hyper-sanitized apartment and Carmen was just wary of putting down roots anywhere. 

So while the rest of LA was out wining and dining their loved ones, Peter and Jared opted to stay in to wine and dine by themselves. Well, actually it was beer and a takeaway pizza but it was close enough. In Peter's experience, fine dining was usually done with tablecloths and far too much cutlery - they got to lie on the couch and watch TV, which was infinitely better.

After a couple of hours of aimless channel surfing, Jared declared that if there was going to be nothing but chick flicks on then they might as well stick some music on and get wasted. And after polishing off two six-packs and starting on the dubious collection of spirits left over from their Cave-warming party, they were well on their way.

'We should play a game,' Jared suggested, sliding further down the couch until there was more of him on the floor than on the cushions.

'Would it involve moving?' Peter asked, 'Because I think my legs went and got drunk while I wasn't looking.' He had already slid off the couch and was now propped up against it, cradling a bottle of something sweet and green. He really hoped that it wasn't going to come back up again because it would be nowhere near as pretty in reverse.

'Nope, I'm only proposing games that we can play lying down,' Jared replied, giving up the fight against gravity and joining Peter on the floor. Peter sniggered childishly. 'Oh, grow up!' Jared said. He tried to sound exasperated but he couldn't hide the stupid grin on his face. Yep, they were officially fifteen again! As if Jared had read Peter's mind, he suddenly said, 'Ooh, you know what we should play?'

'What?' Peter asked, taking another mouthful of liquor and grimacing at its intense sweetness.

'We should play _"Never Have I Ever..."_!'

Peter almost choked. 'What? We haven't played that since we were in High School!' he protested.

'Well, first year of College, actually,' Jared replied with a smug grin, 'But that's all the more reason to play it again - there must be a ton of new stuff I haven't done by now.'

Peter gave him a _'look'_ because he knew that Jared was taunting him. Peter always ended up getting horribly drunk every time they played this game, because Jared was unnervingly good at picking all the things that Peter had done but he hadn't.

'Fine,' Peter conceded. 'Just don't blame me if you end up having to clean the bathroom at three in the morning.

Jared made a face when he realised what Peter meant. 'Eww! Then you're switching bottles with me,' he said, making a grab for the green stuff and handing Peter a bottle of white rum. 'I'll never get anything that colour cleaned up.' He took a mouthful and pulled another face. 'Seriously? This is the bottle you picked?' he asked.

Peter shrugged, 'All the good stuff's gone. And it was a pretty colour.'

'You're such a girl,' Jared laughed. Peter grabbed a cushion off the couch and smacked Jared with it. 'Ow! And just for that, you can go first.'

'Okay.' Peter slid further down against the couch, racking his brain for something to start the game with. 'Never have I ever... had a threesome with an octogenarian and a circus midget,' he finished with a grin.

Jared burst out laughing. 'If you're gonna make suggestions like that, I'm gonna make you drink anyway,' he warned.

That was another problem with playing this game with Jared - he was prone to making up new rules whenever it suited him. 'Okay, okay, I'll play properly,' Peter promised, taking a dutiful mouthful of rum, feeling the alcohol warming his insides. 'Go on then, it's your turn.'

'Okay. Never have I ever... got a blow job from Zoe Marshall in the back row of Professor Leigh's Anthropology class during one of his many slide shows!'

'Hey! No fishing for details on something I swore to you never happened!' Peter said, indignantly.

'What?' Jared arranged his face into a picture of innocence. 'It's just something I've never done, I have no idea whether you've done it or...'

'Oh really?' Peter replied, turning towards Jared. Two can play at this game. 'Well then, never have I ever... been caught by Janie while I was jerking off in the shower. And screamed louder than she did!'

Jared flushed bright red. 'Fine. No fishing allowed,' he conceded, then mumbled, 'Totally didn't happen anyway...' to himself.

Peter grinned. 'Good, glad we've settled that one. Anyway, it's your turn again.'

'Hmm,' Jared gave it a few seconds thought. 'Never have I ever... done it in a moving vehicle.' After a beat, Peter had to take a drink. Jared laughed. 'Okay dude, gimme the details,' he demanded.

That was the other thing about playing this game with Jared; it was never enough to just admit that you'd done something, he always demanded the whole story. So Peter told him about travelling back home from college one semester, when he'd opted to take the overnight Greyhound. About the cute blonde he'd met on board, who by the afternoon was sharing her life story and by the evening was sharing a whole lot more. 

He told Jared about how they'd spent hours making out; the back few rows of the bus being mercifully empty, and how in the middle of the night, when everyone else was asleep, she'd climbed onto his lap and ridden him as slowly and quietly as possible. Peter had nearly bitten through his own lip when he came and by the time he'd woken up again the following morning, she'd already got off at her stop, which Peter thought made the whole experience pretty damn perfect!

'Excellent work, my friend,' Jared said, rearranging the cushions under his head so he was lying on his side, facing Peter. 'Your turn again.'

Peter thought again for a few seconds. 'Okay, got one. Never have I ever... joined the mile high club.'

Jared paused, the bottle halfway to his mouth. 'Are you still insisting that activities on your own don't count?' he asked.

'Yep, activities with a partner only,' Peter confirmed.

'In that case...' Jared left the sentence hanging. 'Never have I ever...'

'Damn it! I really thought I'd got you then.'

'Better luck next time!' Jared grinned, then he continued, 'Never have I ever... had a girlfriend who'd agree to watch porn with me.'

'I really hate playing this game with you,' Peter sighed, taking another drink.

'Yeah, yeah, just spill the beans,' Jared laughed.

And so Peter did. This time it was the story of Cassie, a slightly crazy and extremely kinky girl he'd dated for a few weeks during their first year of law school. In the beginning, he'd been delighted to find out that she was literally up for anything, and had no problems with porn, bondage and at least a dozen other things that Peter hadn't even _known_ he'd wanted to try until he met her. Eventually though, it had all got too much, even for Peter, and their break up had been... unexpected to say the least. By the time Peter was done telling Jared about how she'd cuffed his hands together and tried to suspend him from a hook in the ceiling of her apartment before coming at him with a bull whip, Jared was laughing so hard that the tears were running down his face.

'And you told me that you broke up with her because of artistic differences!' he said, still laughing.

'I did, kind of - she saw me dangling from a meat hook and I saw myself getting the hell out of there! And I had to run three blocks in my underwear…' Peter grimaced at the memory.

'Okay, maybe I'm glad that's something I've never done then,' Jared admitted, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. 'Your turn again.'

Peter had to admit that he kind of sucked at this game, and he was sure that part of it was because ultimately, he loved making Jared laugh like that. He went with the first thing that came into his head, knowing that Jared would turn the game back around to him again soon enough. 'Okay, never have I ever... kissed another guy.'

There was a long pause where Peter expected Jared to laugh at him. Only he didn't. Instead, he slowly took a drink, flushing bright red, his eyes cast down so they didn't meet Peter's. 'Fuck, this green stuff is horrible,' he said. 'Honestly, have we not got anyth...'

'Jared Franklin, _do not_ change the subject,' Peter said with a smirk. 'After everything you've got out of me tonight, I want to hear every single second of this so don't go skimping on the details.'

Sensing that he really wasn't going to get away with sidestepping Peter on this one, Jared sighed and said, 'Fine. Remember our trip to San Francisco when we had to share that tiny hotel room?'

'What? I know we got wasted that weekend but I'm pretty sure I'd remember...'

'It wasn't you, you idiot,' Jared said, lightly. 'It was the night you picked up that hippy chick near Golden Gate Park and then invited her back to the hotel.'

'Oh come on, she did share her pot with us, what else could I have done?' Peter asked, innocently.

'You could have told her that we only had one room instead of kicking me out so you could get laid?' Jared suggested with a wry smile. 'Anyway, seeing as I had to roam the mean streets of San Francisco by myself for at least the next ten minutes,' Peter kicked Jared for the dig at his sexual performance, 'I tried to find that bar we'd gone to the night before...'

'Oh, that one with the cute waitress with the huge...?'

'That's the one. But I got turned around somehow, and I ended up in this bar on Castro...' Peter opened his mouth to point out Jared's mistake, but he cut him off, 'Yes, I know that _now_ , but I just saw somewhere that was serving beer.'

Peter had rolled over onto his stomach, a cushion propped up under his chin, to listen to the rest of the story. It made a nice change for Jared to be the one having to do the taking for once.

'I was just sitting down at the bar when this guy came up and sat next to me, and he offered to buy me a drink. I didn't have anyone else to hang out with, so I let him,' Jared continued. 'Then we got talking and I spent quite a long time telling him about my partner who'd kicked me out of our hotel room so he could get laid.'

'Legal partner. Tell me you said _legal_ partner?' Peter said, rolling his eyes dramatically. 'And tell me you said I was with a girl?!'

'I might have missed some of the more pertinent details in that scenario,' Jared admitted, sheepishly. 'Anyway, he carried on buying me drinks and I carried on talking about you. I swear I thought he was just being friendly... until I felt his hand on my ass!'

'Jesus, Jared!' Peter laughed, 'You let him get you drunk, you let him feel you up - if I'd known you were that easy I wouldn't have bothered with the hippy chick!'

Jared threw another cushion at Peter's head with an indignant, 'Hey!' then said, 'Anyway, I told him I was very flattered but I wasn't into guys, and he said that was a shame because I was... um... cute...' A blush was creeping across Jared's cheeks '... and then he asked if he could change my mind. So I let him kiss me.'

'Dude, you are so easy!' Peter tried to take another mouthful of rum but the bottle was pretty much empty. He wondered where all the rum had gone and then laughed at the _'Pirates Of The Caribbean'_ moment that was going on in his head. Shit, he was really drunk.

'Yeah, and that's not even the worst part,' Jared added in a tone of voice that said he was going to regret sharing this with Peter. 'When we started kissing, there was a huge cheer. Apparently, there was a bet going on to see how long it would take him to pick up the, and I quote, _"pretty straight boy at the bar"_.' 

'And you made some money for a few people, I take it?'

'They told me I'd set a new bar record.' Jared blushed even harder and rolled away from Peter so he was lying on his back, looking up at the ceiling. 'Okay, so now my humiliation is complete, who's turn is...'

'What was it like?' Peter asked. The question just came out before he even realised he wanted to know.

'Honestly?' Jared said, rolling back onto his side to fix Peter with a serious look. Peter nodded. 'It was probably the best first kiss I've ever had.'

And if Peter knew one thing, it was when Jared was telling the truth. 'Tell me...' he said. Peter didn't know why he kept asking questions, but for some reason he just needed to know more.

'I don't know, it was... different.' Jared closed his eyes for a second and Peter couldn't help wondering if he was re-living that kiss again. 'It's like he was... I mean, it was so... It was just... different.'

'Thanks, that was really informative!'

'Sorry, it's just... Fuck, I could probably _show_ you better than I could explain it,' Jared laughed.

'Okay,' Peter said, with no input from his brain whatsoever.

'Are you serious?' Jared was sitting up now, staring at Peter with a look on his face that Peter couldn't quite read - it was somewhere between interested and horrified. 

He thought about it for a second before realising that he _was_ serious. Something about the thought of another guy kissing Jared had brought out a proprietary side to Peter that he didn't really want to think too clearly about. In fact, not thinking at all seemed to be the way to go right now. He pulled himself up until he was sitting on the floor, his back against the couch. 'Yeah, but I don't think I can stand up,' Peter admitted with a giggle, his head spinning woozily.

'That's okay, I think I can work with this,' Jared replied, crawling slightly unsteadily towards him with a huge grin.

Peter had expected Jared to just lean in and plant one on him from where he was, perhaps nothing more than a chaste kiss on the lips. What he didn't expect was for Jared to place both his hands on Peter's shoulders while he swung one leg across so he was straddling Peter's thighs. Nor did he expect to find himself with a lapful of Jared, who was pressed up against Peter and just _looking_ at him intently, one hand sliding across his jaw as he leant in. 

Peter wasn't really sure what to do with his hands; letting them fall awkwardly to his sides as Jared wrapped his arms around Peter's body. But then Jared was kissing him and suddenly he seemed to know exactly what to do with them; running his hands over Jared's thighs and letting them rest briefly on his ass before moving up to his hips and the small of his back.

And it _was_ different. The kiss was firm but tender and there was familiarity where Peter had expected there to be awkwardness. He wrapped his arms tighter around Jared, pressing them together even closer and suddenly there were hard, masculine planes where there was usually soft femininity. He could taste the sweet, green liquor on his best friend's tongue and when Jared rocked his hips forward against Peter's, there was something akin to a moan from both of them.

When they eventually broke apart; foreheads still pressed together, arms still wrapped around each other, the only sound for the first few seconds was the music in the background and breathing that was perhaps a little quicker than usual. Finally, Peter raised his eyes and looked up into Jared's. 'So, how does that compare to the best first kiss ever?' he asked, shyly.

As they carefully unwound themselves from each other, Jared resuming his prone position on the floor next to Peter but maybe lying just a little closer than before, he grinned and replied, 'Let's just say that you'd both make my top five!' 

And that was good enough for Peter.

**~~~~~~~~**

**Because they wanted to win a bet (and because they knew it would really piss Damien off...)**

Jared had to admit that it looked as though a Valentine's Day themed bomb had gone off inside Infeld & Daniels. By nine in the morning, there couldn't have been a flower left in the whole of Los Angeles, and yet more were still being delivered by the hour. This was leading to much speculation between the staff about who was sending what to whom. 

They'd barely made it into the room for their meeting before Damien was making it very clear that he wasn't impressed by any of it. He was in the middle of what looked like a lengthy sermon to Hanna on _"gratuitous displays of crass commercialism"_ and _"pandering to socio-normative convention"_. Which was ironic as everyone already thought that he was responsible for at least half of the gifts that she'd received!

'Now that's the kind of smooth talking that an Ivy League education can buy you,' Jared said conversationally, popping his gum because he knew it annoyed Damien. 'See, we'd just have said _"buying a ton of crap 'cos it's kind of expected"_.' Damien gave them both a withering look, which was pretty much his default position when it came to Franklin and Bash.

They started the meeting by going over witness statements; the four of them cross referencing the case law, with Debbie keeping records. Every time Jared opened his mouth, Damien treated him like he was a four-year-old, which always made Jared want to behave like one. At the first couple of jibes, Peter caught his eye and almost imperceptibly shook his head, so Jared just sighed and let it go. By the time Peter's intellect was being called into question too, Jared could see that he'd had enough. Yeah, this meeting was about to descend into anarchy!

Just then, they were interrupted by yet another delivery of flowers, this time for Debbie. Jared turned to Peter with his best puppy-dog eyes and said, 'Aww, sweetie - I didn't know you cared? They are so beautiful!' Then he sniffed, dramatically.

Peter stared at him crossly and for a second Jared didn't think that he was going to play. Then with a wicked look in his eyes Peter said, 'Jared, don't be stupid... you know I put those chocolates on your pillow this morning, baby. And don't think I missed the naughty Post-It you left me on the fridge either!'

Hanna stifled a giggle in an attempt to remain professional and Debbie had taken to hiding her laughter behind her notepad. Damien, on the other hand, was in danger of giving himself a seizure if he rolled his eyes any more. 'Oh please!' he said, throwing down the report in his hand, 'Give the act a rest.'

'Are you saying our love isn't real?' Jared asked, clutching a hand to his chest. 'Peter, hold me!'

'Really?' said Damien, with a look of exasperation. 'Come on, you're all talk. If someone actually called you on these little _"roles"_ you like to play, I bet you'd run a mile!'

'I'm sorry, did you just say the word _"bet"_?' Jared asked with a grin.

'What I _meant_ was...'

'Did he say _"bet"_?' Jared asked Debbie.

She scanned her notes as if she'd actually minuted every word. 'Yes, yes I believe he did, Mr Franklin.'

'Really. Care to put your money where you mouth is, Damien?' Jared leaned back in his chair and chewed his gum thoughtfully, waiting for a response.

Damien sighed. 'I am not going to get embroiled in some juvenile wager...'

'See, there's that fancy college education again,' Jared cut in. 'Most other people would've gone for _"stupid bet"_ but not you - no, you go for...'

'Fine! Fifty bucks says you haven't got the balls to kiss each other! That clear enough for you?' Damien sat back looking slightly shocked, as though his brain needed a few seconds to catch up with what his mouth had just said, but it was already too late.

'I'll get in on that action too,' Hanna added. Damien turned and gave her a look of incredulity. 'What?' she asked, innocently. 'I can't do a little Valentine's Day gambling? Debbie, can we interest you?'

'I think I'll act as independent adjudicator for this one,' she replied with a grin. There was a soft thud as Peter's head hit the desk repeatedly.

'That's the spirit!' Jared said.

'Um, Jared?' Peter said, getting up from his seat. 'Could I just speak to you over there for just a moment? Please?' He grabbed hold of Jared's arm and guided him rather forcefully into the corner of the room. 'Okay, what the hell are you playing at?' he hissed.

'Firstly; ow!' Jared hissed back, rubbing his arm. 'And secondly; what is your problem? I thought you wanted to have some fun with Mr Stick-Up-His-Ass over there too?'

Peter looked nervously over Jared's shoulder towards Damien. 'Yes, but this is not _exactly_ what I had in mind.'

'No, it's probably way better than what you had in mind. Not to mention a lot more fun!' Jared wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

'Look, I _like_ working here,' Peter pleaded with him, 'Why are you always so keen to screw this up?'

'Oh come on, it's a bit of harmless fun. And it's not like we haven't done it before,' Jared argued.

By now, Damien was getting a little more confident in winning the bet, calling over to them, 'Hey! If you two want to back down, I'll just take my money and we'll say no more about it. No hard feelings and I promise not to point out that I was right. Much.'

'I know we've done it before, Jared,' Peter said in an irritated tone, 'But can I just point out that _a)_ it was a year ago, _b)_ we were very drunk, and _c)_ we were very _alone_!'

'Oh, will you just pull yourself together?' Jared snapped at him in exasperation. 'We kiss, we take Damien's money and the world is a happier place for both of us. Stop being such a _pussy_ about it!'

_Oh-oh, wrong choice of words_ , was the first thing that popped into Jared's head as soon as he'd closed his mouth, because Peter's eyes flashed darkly. It was a look that Jared hadn't seen in a while, but definitely one that he recognised. It was a look that had got them both into a lot of trouble on more than one occasion. Like the time Jared had told Peter he absolutely _had_ to get him out of an exam and after much cajoling, Peter had ended up setting off the fire alarms... which unbeknownst to them were attached to the sprinkler system! Or the time that Jared had made Peter to go on a date with a potential client who was a total cougar, and somehow Jared had ended up on a double date with her friend who'd nearly eaten him alive! Yeah, he really needed to stop pushing Peter - bad things happened...

As all of this was going through Jared's head, Peter grabbed hold of the front of his vest and planted a kiss on his lips, whilst walking him backwards until his ass hit the desk behind them and they broke apart.

Hannah cleared her throat politely and said, 'I'm not sure that a quick peck is going to qualify in this instance. Adjudicator?'

'No, I think we really need to see some... Oh, you're not done yet. My bad,' Debbie finished as Peter leant around Jared and swept all the stationery and papers off the desk in one quick motion. 

Then Peter grabbed hold of Jared again; half pushing him and half just picking him up and laying him on the desk, before leaning over until he was on top of Jared, eyes still flashing wickedly. He brought their mouths together in another crushing kiss, effortlessly pinning Jared down on the desk with his weight.

Other people in the room were saying stuff, but whether they were telling them to stop, encouraging them to carry on or trying to let them know that the room was on fire, Jared had no idea. Because Peter was kissing him hard; fingers in his hair, tongue in his mouth and - oh god - hips grinding down against Jared's in a way that was making it tough for him to remember his own name. It was a complete role reversal from their kiss a year ago; when Jared had been the confident one, the one in control. And as much fun as that had been, it kind of scared him how much he liked it this way round too.

Just as it was occurring to Jared that maybe they should stop with the floorshow before they attracted any more attention to themselves - glass walls and all that - he heard the one voice in the world that, apart from maybe his Dad, he really didn't want to hear at that moment.

'Ah, Peter,' came the voice of Stanton Infeld, 'I think we have a meeting at eleven, but there's no rush. Do finish up with Jared first, won't you...'

Peter pulled back sharply, a look of horror on his face, and Jared managed to turn his head just enough to see Stanton walking off down the corridor, smiling to himself and shaking his head. Jared looked back at Peter, who offered a sheepish grin before giving him a final kiss on the lips and climbing carefully off the desk. Peter held out his hands to help Jared up too, and Jared hoped that it wasn't because he looked as dazed as he felt right then. 

Peter turned to address Debbie. 'Well, I believe we've fulfilled our end of the deal. Right, Adjudicator?'

'Um... Oh yes. That was... Er... Yes, right. Good.' Debbie hid her face behind her notepad again, blushing furiously.

'Yep, pay up,' Jared added, attempting to get back some of his usual swagger before anyone noticed that Peter had practically kissed him into oblivion. Reluctantly, Damien got out his wallet and handed a fifty to Peter, who was closest.

'Thank you Damien,' Peter said, graciously. Then he addressed the note, 'And hello Mr Grant, welcome to my wallet. Feel free to make yourself at home, and do say hello to Mr Jackson and Mr Hamilton, while you're in there!' Damien just rolled his eyes again.

Meanwhile, Hanna came over to Jared. She pushed a fifty dollar note into his pocket with a sultry smile and whispered in his ear, 'Best fifty bucks I ever spent...' It was Jared's turn to blush furiously.

Formalities over with, Jared turned to Peter and said nonchalantly, 'Hey! D'you think that maybe you should, um...?' he indicated towards the door.

Peter shrugged with indifference. A pretence that he managed to keep up for all of three seconds before saying, 'Yeah, I really should...' and legging it out the door to go and make his apologies to Infeld. Peter really _did_ like working here - Jared promised himself he'd try and remember that more often.

'Hey, Jared?' Peter called suddenly, sticking his head back 'round the door. 'I think I've got your gum here?'

'Oh, _that's_ where it went!' Jared called back with a grin. 'You keep it, buddy, I've got plenty more.' Peter nodded and ran off down the corridor again. Jared fished in his pocked for a fresh stick of gum and popped it in his mouth. 'Now, where were we?' he asked casually, picking up one of the reports from the table as if nothing had happened.

**~~~~~~~~**

**Because they were bored and couldn't think of a better way to pass the time...**

Having found the particular citation he was looking for, Peter reached across his desk to grab a notepad... and put his hand straight into a bowl of leftover cereal. 'Jared!' he yelled across the Man Cave, 'Could you _please_ try and remember to clear up around here once in a while?'

'Yeah, sure thing. I'll get to that in a minute...'

Jared was laid out on the couch in front of the TV, attempting to watch every channel in existence at what appeared to be three-second intervals, while Peter tried to do some work for Infeld. Okay, so _technically_ he'd offered to take on the project, but he'd kind of felt obliged to make up for his earlier indiscretion of being caught riding his partner on the desk. He really didn't want to jeopardise their position with the firm but nothing would make Peter take back what had happened earlier; the memory of pressing Jared against the desk and kissing him breathless was practically burned into his subconscious.

Not that they'd had time to talk about it, having been stuck in various meetings for most of the day and then Peter got tied up with the work for Infeld. Unfortunately, Jared had gone into _'bored and restless'_ mode at around six o'clock and was now working on the upgrade to _'irritating'_. The only reason that Peter was even working from home in the first place was because he couldn't guarantee the safety of the office when Jared was like this. It usually lead to awkward conversations where Peter had to explain to someone why the fire extinguishers were empty, or why there was jam all over Damien's desk.

Against the backdrop of an ever-changing TV soundtrack and the flash of channels changing so fast that it was threatening to give him a migraine, Peter attempted to concentrate on work. Eventually Jared came over ambling over to his desk.

'I'm bored, Peter...'

'I'm working, Jared...'

'Oh, come on. It's bad enough that we're dateless on Valentine's Day. Again,' Jared added. 'Don't make it any worse by being all Lawyer-y too.'

'In case it escaped your notice, we are - in fact - Lawyers. So occasionally, we do have to be all _"Lawyer-y"_ ,' Peter said, in tones that implied he was talking to a four year old. 'And that's totally not a word, by the way.'

'Pfft! Whatever... I'm still bored.'

'You could always come and help me with these reports if you're looking for something to do?' Peter said, with a hopeful smile.

'Y'know, I think I can hear...' he started backing away from the desk. 'What's that...? Okay, I'm on my way!' and Jared turned and ran off towards his room before Peter could suggest anything else work-related.

Peter laughed, but for the next half an hour he was able to work uninterrupted.

When Jared came back, he was dressed in a long-sleeve t-shirt and loose pants, his hair still damp from the shower. To all intents and purposes, he looked like a kid who was ready for bed. Peter had to smother a grin because he knew that Jared would not be amused if he knew that Peter was thinking about him like that.

He stood behind Peter for what felt like an age, until he finally said, ' _Now_ will you come and play with me?' 

Peter looked around to see that Jared was giving him his best 'pouty' look. He almost relented right then; not because of the stupid look but because there was something incredibly alluring about a Jared who'd just got out of the shower, and Peter didn't want to think too much about why that was. Then his eyes strayed back to the huge pile of paperwork that was still sitting on his desk, and he sighed. 'Sorry, I've still got a ton of stuff to get done here.' Then he added with a grin, 'You're just going to have to play with yourself like other people do!'

'Peter, it's Valentine's Day - the vast majority of the world is out getting laid so they don't have to play with themselves,' Jared shot back. 'Besides, it's no fun playing by myself any more. I need a challenge...'

It was then Peter realised that Jared was never going to leave him alone to work in peace. He also realised that he probably wasn't capable of concentrating on anything work-related while their kiss was playing on a constant loop in his brain. He made a decision. Whether it was a good decision was another matter...

Peter threw his pen down and turned to face Jared. 'You want a challenge? Fine, I'll give you a challenge.' Jared was halfway towards the games console when Peter said, 'Go to your room and wait for me there.'

He turned back and fixed Peter with an odd look. 'And you're talking to me like I'm a naughty little kid because...?'

'I said, go to your room,' Peter repeated, calmly.

Jared stared at him again with a look that Peter could have sworn was tinged with arousal, and then he burst out laughing. 'Fine, I'll play along,' he chuckled, making his way towards the bedroom, 'But if you just leave me in there, you're so gonna pay for it!'

Peter waited until he heard Jared's door close before letting his head fall to the desk. He took a moment to contemplate whether he was about to make a monumentally huge error of judgement. The Man Cave was suddenly silent; Carmen was out with a friend and even Pindar was shut up in his room, putting his own personal spin on online dating. _Fuck it_ , Peter thought finally, getting up and heading towards Jared's room, _I've had enough of work for one day anyway..._

He opened the door to Jared's room, trying not to let his hesitation show, to find Jared sitting in the middle of his bed, looking vaguely amused. 'If you think you're going to make me write out _"I must not annoy Peter"_ a hundred times, then you're very much mistaken, buddy!' he said.

'Just for once,' Peter said, crawling onto the bottom of the bed and pushing Jared backwards until he was laying down, 'Could you shut up and do as you're told?' Then he leant in and kissed Jared gently, testing the response. Doing it when they were wasted or to win a bet was one thing, but he needed to know that he wasn't overstepping the boundaries of their friendship, or at least that Jared was okay with it. As it turned out, Jared was very okay with it. He wrapped his arms around Peter and pulled him down, returning the kiss with enthusiasm.

Peter let Jared have his own way for a few minutes, just enjoying the sensation of kissing his best friend when he was sober enough to remember it. And it was something that they appeared to be very good at, too! Then he remembered that Jared had wanted a challenge and that he had a plan. Without breaking the kiss, Peter rolled them both over so that he was on top of Jared. Using his full body weight, he pinned Jared to the bed, pressing their bodies together in all the best places. Peter knew from earlier that it was entirely possible to get Jared aroused this way, which was exactly what he wanted. He reached down and took hold of both of Jared's hands, sliding them up until his arms were restrained above his head. Peter pulled away then, looking down at Jared to admire his handiwork. Jared's eyes were dilated, his cheeks flushed and his lips swollen. He looked kind of beautiful that way.

'Hold onto the headboard and _don't move_ ,' Peter commanded with an evil grin, before finally letting go of Jared's hands. Then he leant in again to place a trail of hot, wet kisses across Jared's jaw and down his neck.

'Is making out going to be our thing on Valentine's Day now?' Jared asked, a little breathlessly. 'Because if it is, I'm gonna need to clear my schedule in future...'

Peter should have known that Jared could never keep his mouth shut unless it was busy! He sat up so that he was straddling Jared's hips, a gentle undulation offering a promise of what might be still to come, that made Jared's breath hitch slightly. 'Are you gonna make me gag you as well?' Peter asked. Jared grinned up at him, but then mimed zipping his mouth closed. When Peter looked at him with a raised eyebrow, he obediently put his hand back onto the headboard. 'Good boy,' Peter told him. Jared might not have risked answering him with words but he could still roll his eyes theatrically. He hadn't worked out the challenge yet, but he'd figure it out soon enough...

Peter leant over again and kissed Jared on the mouth one more time before working his way back down Jared's neck, alternating kisses with gentle bites that made Jared murmur with pleasure. Okay, so he was never going to be _completely_ silent! Peter reached down between them and grabbed the bottom of Jared's t-shirt, pulling it right up so he could continue his ministrations at Jared's collarbone. Peter took his time; kissing, licking and nibbling his way cross Jared's chest. He flicked his tongue gently across one of Jared's nipples and was rewarded with a sharp intake of breath. When he tried lightly grazing it with his teeth, Jared gave a groan. Then Peter discovered that pressure of any kind against Jared's ribs made him squirm and try to wriggle away from the contact, which only made Peter do it even more; laving the flat of his tongue over Jared's skin until he finally gave in and told Peter, 'Hey, cut it out, or this buffet is closing!'

Peter was finding the whole experience fascinating; he thought that he'd learnt everything he would ever need to know about his best friend, and yet here was a whole new arena where he knew almost nothing about what Jared liked. He was certainly going to enjoy finding out.

He had made his way down to Jared's stomach; kissing soft skin that was deliciously warm and smelt faintly of soap and something else that Peter just couldn't get enough of. He ran his tongue over one of Jared's hips and worked his way across to the other one. With each pass he nudged the edge of Jared's pants down a little further, each time wondering if his partner was going to say anything. So far they'd both politely declined to mention the fact that Jared's dick had been digging into Peter since he'd first rolled on top of him.

After a couple of soft moans, Jared eventually raised his head off the pillow and said 'Seriously dude, if you go any further in that direction you're gonna end up with my dick in your mouth.'

Peter raised his head and gave Jared a look that said, _'And...?'_

Jared shot him a look right back that said, _'Really...?'_

Hooking his fingers under the waistband of Jared's pants, Peter tugged lightly until Jared took the hint and lifted his hips. He tried not to think about the fact that he now had Jared practically naked and that he was looking at Peter with a mixture of lust and amazement. It was only when he'd climbed back onto the bed and nestled himself comfortably across it, that Peter suddenly realised he absolutely no idea what he was doing. He also realised that the time to think about the logistics of sucking cock was _not_ when you were about to attempt it for the first time. In the face of a complete lack of experience, Peter just closed his eyes and went on instinct.

After the first few experimental moves, he realised that he wasn't going to have any problem knowing whether what he was doing was any good - the noises coming from Jared told him everything he needed to know. And the more Jared made those breathy little moans that caught in his throat, the more Peter wanted to do all the things that caused them. When Peter finally opened his eyes and looked up, he saw that Jared had his arms propped up under his head so he could watch, a beautiful grin on his face. Despite the fact that he had his best friend's dick in his mouth, Peter could still feel a blush on his cheeks at the thought of Jared watching him do it.

A few minutes later, Jared wasn't watching him any more. His head was thrown back, his toes curling and he was clearly trying to string together the right words to broach the protocol for coming in someone's mouth for the first time. Eventually, he settled on, 'Dude, you gotta stop, I'm gonna...'

Peter backed off immediately. 'No you're not,' he replied, gripping Jared tightly and holding him until the feeling had subsided. It was a little trick that crazy Cassie had taught him; not that he'd been much of a fan of it when he was on the receiving end, but _this_ way 'round...

'Fuck! That was close,' Jared breathed eventually, sitting up slightly, 'Although now, I'm left with...' Before he could finish that sentence, Peter started all over again; sucking him gently at first and then starting to build up a rhythm. 'Jesus, Peter... Oh my god...' But then Jared ran out of words, or at least those that could be used to form a coherent sentence.

Peter took as much of Jared as he could, hollowing his cheeks and using his hands to ghost light touches across Jared's stomach and thighs; firing nerve endings that would already be over-stimulated. When Jared's hips started to buck slightly and his moans grew louder, Peter knew that he was getting close. In the periphery of Peter's vision, Jared raised his head; his eyes were screwed tightly shut and he was biting his lip. Finally, he said, 'Okay, this time I really _am_ gonna...'

'Nope, you're really not,' Peter responded with a grin, one step ahead of him this time. He waited until Jared's breathing had slowed and he was sure that he had everything under control and then Peter went down for the third time, so to speak!

'Oh shit! You've got to be kidding me?!' Jared cried out, his hands gripping the sheets as Peter swallowed him again.

And after that, Peter lost count of how many times he took Jared to the edge and back. He kept going until his jaw ached, until Jared was practically incoherent with need, until all he could do was beg and plead with Peter to let him finish. And because Peter knew that it might be a very long time before he got Jared into such a state again - if ever - he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to make sure he knew _exactly_ who was in control right now. Peter sucked hard one last time, letting Jared go but keeping his hand wrapped loosely around Jared's cock as he sat up. 

'If I let you come, are you gonna let me get some work done tonight?' Peter asked, moving his hand up and down in maddeningly slow strokes.

'Fuck... Yeah, whatever... Just let me...'

'And are you gonna make yourself useful if I need someone to help me out?' Peter added, the idea of extracting more assurances from Jared suddenly occurring to him.

'Yes, totally... Please, just...'

'And will you actually do the dishes when I ask you to?' Oh, this was just too much fun!

'Dude, I promise... _Anything_... Fuck, _please_...' 

Jared was almost beyond begging when Peter finally took pity on him. He crawled back up the bed and buried his face in Jared's neck; kissing and sucking the sensitive skin as his hand quickly worked Jared to the point of no return in just a couple of strokes. He came with a strangled cry of obscenities, his arms wrapped around Peter.

In the silence of the room, Peter took a second to wonder if he'd come to look back on this moment as the point that he'd truly fucked up their friendship. But then Jared's lips were on his and everything fell back into place again. They kissed for the longest time, until Jared gently reminded Peter what had got them into this in the first place with a sudden, 'Eww! You are so doing my laundry, dude!'

Peter grinned. 'That's probably a fair trade,' he agreed, handing over the tissues.

'I think I might have enjoyed this even more than the kissing,' Jared murmured, settling back against Peter, 'Y'know, if we're still looking for a _'thing'_ for Valentine's Day...?'

Peter laughed and threw an arm across Jared, placing a soft kiss on the top of his head. 'I'm not sure that we've made a final decision yet, but I'll add this to the list!'

There was a comfortable silence before Jared asked, 'Peter? What _is 'this'_?'

Peter thought for a second. 'If I had a clue, I'd tell you,' he replied. 'But honestly, I really don't know right now.' He paused to consider his next question carefully before asking Jared, 'Do you want it to stop?'

Jared yawned and turned over in Peter's arms. 'Maybe just for a couple of hours, yeah...?'

Peter gave up the pretence that he was going to get any more work done and settled in behind Jared for a little while. He might not know what _'this'_ was, but he couldn't think of anyone else he'd rather be doing it with.

**~~~~~~~~**

**Because they needed the comfort and sometimes only your best friend will do...**

'Come on, Mom - you know you're the only woman in my life!' Jared chuckled, stretching out on the couch. He didn't mind the obligatory phone call home as long as it wasn't his dad who answered. 'No, I _really_ don't need a girlfriend, I promise you... Yes, I know it's Valentine's Day, but... No, Peter doesn't have a girlfriend either, Mom...'

From the other side of the room, Peter tried to hide a snigger so Jared threw one of the cushions at him, missing by several feet. He didn't care that Peter could hear his conversation; it wasn't like they had any secrets anyway.

'Really? I thought he was out...?' Jared started, 'No, it's okay, I don't need to speak...' but it was too late. 'Yeah, hi Dad,' he finished, resignedly. Jared sat up and swung his legs onto the floor. A phone call with his father was never going to be a _'lying down'_ kind of conversation. 

Leonard had clearly decided to pick up where his mother had left off, telling him he should be out with a girlfriend on Valentine's Day, that his cousins were getting married and having kids of their own, blah, blah, blah... Jared wasn't sure whether it was better or worse when his father switched from undermining his professional life to undermining his personal life. Then he started telling Jared that he might actually meet someone if he spent less of his time hanging out with Peter, and immediately he tensed up. As casually as he could and disguising his motives by pretending to stretch, Jared got up off the couch and then slowly walked out of the room. He knew that Peter would be watching him but he didn't care; he knew where this conversation was going and he knew that he needed to be alone. 

Jared ended up in Peter's room by virtue of the fact that it was closest. He sat down on the end of the bed and took a deep breath. Leonard continued on the topic of Peter being the reason that Jared was single and alone for a while, before going through everything that was wrong in Jared's life and finishing with a round up of how well everyone else's kids were doing. As a veteran of these conversations, Jared had long since give up trying to say anything in his defence; he just waited for the conversation to be over. Eventually, having run out of things to criticise, Leonard Franklin got around to saying goodbye.

'Yeah... Love to Mom,' Jared said, and hung up. He doubted whether his father would even notice that he'd been purposely excluded from Jared's sentiments, but that small rebellion allowed him to cling to the belief that he hadn't just allowed himself to be totally railroaded by his father. Again. 

Jared figured that Peter would be waiting for the call to finish before coming in to see if he was okay. He also figured that Peter would _know_ the call was finished when the phone exited into the hallway but Jared didn't. He slammed the door again and curled himself up into a ball on Peter's bed, wrapping his arms over his head. Jared guessed that he had about five minutes to get himself together before Peter came in. There was a knock at the door after three minutes. Jared sniffed loudly, which he presumed Peter must've interpreted as a variation of _'come in'_ because he heard the door open and close, and felt the mattress dip slightly as his best friend settled onto the bed next to him. 

'I think you killed the phone,' Peter said softly. Jared just sniffed again in reply. After all these years, Peter knew better than to wade straight in with the _'he's an asshole'_ speech, so he just lay next to Jared in the half-light of the room and gave him time to get it out of his system until he was ready to talk.

Eventually, Peter rolled over a little so he was lying closer to Jared and said gently, 'So, are you ready for the speech yet?'

Jared ran a hand over his face, rolled back towards Peter and replied with a brief smile, 'Yeah, I guess I am.'

And so they lay side by side and proceeded to have the same conversation that they'd been having since they were fifteen; Peter told him that Leonard wasn't worth it and that he didn't deserve Jared as a son, while Jared said that he knew but it didn't make it any less painful. At some point during the exchange, Peter had laid an arm across Jared, his hand unconsciously slipping under Jared's t-shirt to move in gentle strokes across his tummy, which put another smile on Jared's face. 

He liked it when Peter forgot what he was doing and just let some small gesture of affection slip out; it was something that was happening more and more since their Valentine's Day encounter last year. The patented _'he's an asshole'_ speech over with, Peter just lay quietly next to Jared until he was ready to tell him about the rest of the call. In the companionable silence, Jared thought about how their relationship had changed over the last year, since the day Peter had given him an experience that he would truly never forget! 

They'd shared more than a few drunken kisses in that time, and a few comforting hugs that somehow ended up with both of them in the same bed, making out for a while. Jared had got his own back on Peter too, by dragging him into the bathroom during a party they'd thrown to celebrate landing a big client. While Infeld had been making his usual longwinded congratulatory speech, Jared had pushed Peter up against the wall, dropped to his knees and enjoyed every second of his best friend's efforts to keep quiet! 

Then there was the time that they'd been caught in a torrential downpour and got soaked to the skin. Carmen had made them strip to their boxers in the hallway before they dripped water everywhere and then ordered them both into the shower. Okay, so she might not have _meant_ for them to use the same one, but two enjoyable hand jobs later, they didn't really care! They'd even attempted to have sex once, but they were both kind of drunk and ended up laughing too much for it to reach any kind of satisfying conclusion. Jared grinned to himself, remembering how awful their drunken endeavours had been and how they'd agreed that their expectations might have been unduly raised by porn!

'So, do you wanna talk about it, or...?' Peter began. Jared could hear the uncertainty in his voice.

He pushed himself back against Peter a little bit more and said with a sigh, 'Well, it all started with how everything that's wrong with my life is your fault, and it went from there really...'

'Oh great,' Peter replied with a chuckle, 'I just love it when I'm the bad guy!' Jared had to admit that it was something of a recurring theme.

'You know I don't think that, right?' Jared said suddenly, twisting around.

'Of course I do!' Peter said, tightening his hold around Jared. 'I know it, you know it... I _would_ say that one day Leonard will know it too, but after twenty years I won't hold my breath!'

And that was when it hit Jared - Twenty years. In all that time, Peter had been the one constant in his life, the one person who truly understood him and no one - least of all his father - was going to tell Jared that Peter wasn't the best damn thing that had ever happened to him. Suddenly feeling the need to prove to _both_ of them just how good Peter was for him, Jared turned over and kissed Peter hard.

'I didn't come in here so... You don't have to...' Peter managed to get out between kisses. Jared didn't answer, he just pulled himself up so he was lying on top of Peter and kissed him again until he felt Peter surrender to it. 

The kiss was possessive and insistent; Peter seemed to sense how much Jared needed it, just letting him be the one in control. Peter wrapped his arms around Jared, pulling them together, his hands moving up under Jared's t-shirt to touch bare skin. It felt good, but Jared wanted more. He knelt up over Peter and slowly pulled his t-shirt off, throwing it somewhere on the floor - he didn't really care where it ended up. The fact that Peter's eyes were roaming unashamedly across Jared's body only made him feel more powerful. Seeing his own desire mirrored in Peter, Jared took hold of his hands and pulled him forward so he could tug Peter's t-shirt off over his head, losing it somewhere on the floor with his own.

Looking at Peter lying underneath him, Jared faltered for a minute, just feeling the heat pooling low inside of him. He leant forward again; the feel of his skin against Peter's was too much and not enough all at the same time. Their kiss deepened and Jared was vaguely aware that he was grinding his hips hard against Peter's, desperate for more friction. Before long he was reaching between their bodies and fumbling at buttons on jeans, not really knowing whether they were his or Peter's and caring even less.

Eventually, Peter broke the kiss with a smile and said, 'Unless you're planning on dry humping your way out of those pants, I think you're going to have to move.'

Jared grinned and rolled off Peter, onto the bed. 'Just shut up and get naked,' he laughed, pulling off his jeans and kicking them onto the floor. When they were both done, Jared had to stop himself from thinking too much about it. Because if he thought about the implications of straddling his best friend while they were both butt naked and horny as hell then he was pretty sure that there would probably be some part of his brain that might decide to point out what a bad idea it was, how they were crossing a line that they might never be able to come back from, and how he should probably get his pants back on and get the hell out of there. And Jared had no intention of stopping what he was doing right then, because it felt incredible.

He realised that it would be so easy to finish it all right there; to just wrap a hand around the both of them, give in to the want that seemed to be coursing through his veins and hope that Peter wasn't too far behind him. Only, there was another part of Jared that didn't want it to end; the part of him that was still angry at his father's criticism of Peter. That part of Jared made him lean forward to capture Peter's mouth again, allowing the delicious friction of their bodies pressed together to shoot a prickle of anticipation down his spine. 

He took hold of the arms that were loosely wrapped around him and pushed them up over Peter's head, a mirror image of their positions a year ago. Jared kissed his way along Peter's jaw and down across his throat, nibbling gently at sensitive skin and then not-so-gently when Peter groaned and arched his back slightly. Jared increased the pressure on Peter's wrists to stop him from moving until he was practically holding him down, biting and sucking on Peter's neck as he moved against him. It was instinctive, aggressive, and probably going to leave bruises but he couldn't bring himself to care...

'Jared... Jared?' Peter was breathing hard and it took Jared a few seconds to recognise that he was speaking. 'Slow down a second, yeah?'

Jared sat up carefully, letting go of Peter as he came back to himself a little. Peter didn't sound like he was mad but Jared was scared that he'd gone too far, that this wasn't what Peter wanted. 'Sorry... I'll just...' he went to move, suddenly feeling awkward.

Peter had been fumbling around in the drawer of his bedside cabinet. When Jared tried to climb off, he put a hand out to stop him. 'No, I just meant... If we're gonna go any further, you'll probably need these.' Peter dropped a condom and a bottle of ID Glide on the bed.

When Jared realised what he meant, his eyes widened to the point where they were in danger of falling out of his head! 'Are you... sure?' Jared managed to get out, needing to know that he and Peter were both on the same page. Peter just nodded, a shy smile on his face, his eyes dilated with arousal. And Jared did slow down a little after that, relinquishing some of the control he'd been so desperate for and losing himself to new pleasures for a while. 

They kissed and touched for what felt like forever; spending time working out what felt good, _where_ felt good, and what made them moan out loud. Unlike the last time they'd attempted this, when they'd just tried to launch themselves into it without much thought, this time Jared knew when the time had come and he sensed that Peter knew it too. Kneeling between Peter's legs, Jared reached for the lube because he knew that it was the next logical step, but then found himself just looking at it, as though there might be some kind of pertinent instructions written on the bottle.

Peter laughed softly at him and Jared kind of frowned in return. It wasn't like Peter had managed to do any better when he'd had the chance. Sitting up, Peter said, 'Here, let me...' and he took the bottle, popped the cap and squeezed a generous amount onto Jared's fingers.

Jared sucked in a breath. When Peter looked questioningly at him he replied, 'It's cold.'

'Shouldn't _I_ be more worried about that?' Peter asked, grinning. Then he took hold of Jared's hand and pressed it deliberately between his legs. 'It'll be easier like this...' he said, lying back against the pillows again.

'Dude, did you _research_ this?' Jared asked with amusement.

Peter shrugged. 'I wanted to make sure that the next time we tried it, it'd be better.'

'Well, it couldn't get any worse!' Jared replied, jokingly. But inside he was thinking about the fact that Peter assumed they'd give it another try - even after their first disastrous attempt - and that he'd wanted to make sure it was good. He wasn't really sure what to do with that, but it made his insides flip over and put a stupid grin on his face all the same. 

Peter interrupted those thoughts with an impatient roll of his hips and Jared soon got the message, pressing forwards and watching intently as Peter's eyes fluttered closed, his breathing halting for a fraction of a second. Gaining confidence, Jared started to experiment; trying different moves, seeing which ones made Peter's breath catch and his cock twitch. He thought that he could probably spend the rest of the night just touching Peter like this, and that he could probably spend the rest of his life listening to Peter make those noises, knowing that he was the cause of them.

'I think I'm ready... Y'know, if you are,' Peter said, hesitantly.

Jared just nodded, not trusting himself to be able to get out any kind of sound that wasn't a terrified squeak, and reached for the condom, the loss of contact with Peter making both of them shudder slightly. It turned out that reaching for it was the easy part, getting the damn thing on was proving to be a lot harder. He dropped it twice just trying to pick it up, and then he couldn't get the stupid foil packet open because his hands seemed to be shaking. Just as he was about to throw it across the room - the universe obviously having other ideas about him getting laid - Peter's hands closed over his, taking the condom out of Jared's hands and tearing into it like it was the easiest thing in the world.

Jared laughed apologetically. 'Anyone would think it was my first time.'

'I guess is it, sort of,' Peter answered. He helped Jared with the rest of the process and how he didn't come right there and then was a complete mystery to him. 

Positioning himself carefully over Peter, Jared lined himself up and pushed forward with his hips. It was the most amazing feeling and it threatened to overwhelm him completely. He dropped his head so it rested on Peter's chest for a moment, listening to his best friend's erratic breathing as he tried to get himself together. Peter pressed a gentle kiss to the top of his head, wrapping his arms around Jared's body and pulling him in tight. As neither of them seemed to be very together at that moment, they settled for whispered exchanges of _'You okay?'_ and empathic nods as they just rocked together for a while. 

Eventually, Jared got used to the intensity of the feeling and Peter seemed to relax a little around him. He shifted his weight back so he could move again; all the while looking into Peter's eyes to make sure that it was okay. Jared's movements were slow and hesitant at first; his fears alternating between whether he was hurting Peter and whether it was all going to be over embarrassingly quickly.

Gradually he started to find a steady rhythm and everything was going so well until Peter lifted his hips and they both swore colourfully at the change in sensation. They laughed, but this time it wasn't because they were drunk or because they couldn't understand where they were going wrong, they were just stupidly happy and this way Jared got to take a moment to get himself under control.

When he started to move again, Jared managed to pick up the pace a little, raising himself up so that if Peter shifted his position like that a second time then he wouldn't be in danger of falling apart. Because Jared couldn't deny that he'd never experienced anything like this before and he was so very close to losing it. Peter's moans and curses and occasional references to deities weren't helping either, or the way his breathing hitched and his eyes were shut so tightly.

Before he was too far gone, Jared remembered that there should really be some sort of give and take to the whole thing. He reached between them both and took hold of Peter, trying to stroke him in time to his own rhythm, but Jared couldn't quite get his hands and hips to coordinate. He was starting to feel kind of useless, until he felt Peter's hand close over his own once again, steadying the pace and tightening the grip. Jared looked down; the sight of both of them working Peter closer to the edge was almost too much and Jared thought that nothing could feel better than this. Until Peter came and _everything_ contracted around Jared. The intense sensation danced along the tipping point between pleasure and pain until Jared was lost to everything.

'Oh yes...! Fuck...!' His world turned colours and fell away, lights exploding behind his eyes as he came with Peter's name on his tongue. 

Some time later - Jared had no idea _how_ long as his brain appeared to have shorted out - he managed to move enough parts of his body so that he was next to Peter rather than on top of him. They were both sticky and sweaty but neither of them appeared to be in any fit state to do anything about it.

'I'll just...' the rest of that sentence was something about getting up and going back to his own room, but Jared never got that far.

'Just... Go to sleep,' Peter finished for him, already half asleep himself.

Jared let his eyes close for a minute, but the longer he lay there, the more aware he was of being in Peter's bed. And of what had just happened. He wasn't sure if it was entirely feasible to be having a sexuality crisis at this point in his life. All he knew was that he'd never felt like this after sex with anyone else; like he never wanted there to _be_ anyone else. Was that because it had been with Peter, or...? Jared wasn't sure if he wanted to hear the end of that thought.

As Peter drifted off to sleep next to him, his breathing falling into a regular rhythm, Jared curled in behind his best friend and tried to put it out of his mind...

**~~~~~~~~**

**Because they finally realised that they probably do love each other...**

Okay, so it wasn't the first time that Peter had ever woken up to find someone else in his bed with him. It _was_ the first time that it had been Jared though. He grinned to himself in the early morning light. And if Peter was thinking that it'd be quite nice to wake up with Jared every morning, then he was sure that he could blame that sappy thought on the fact that he'd got laid last night. Quite spectacularly, in fact! Peter closed his eyes again and let the sound of Jared's breathing lull him back to sleep.

When he woke up again it was daylight, and other side of the bed was empty. Peter stretched, wincing slightly at the new and interesting places that he appeared to be sore in. Having located a pair of jeans and a t-shirt to drag on, both of which had somehow ended up on opposite sides of the room after last night, Peter ran a hand through his hair and wandered out of his room to find... well, everyone.

Jared was wandering distractedly around the kitchen trying to juggle stacks of plates back onto the shelves, Pindar was attacking every surface in sight with antibacterial spray and Carmen was wrestling with the vacuum cleaner. Oh god, the big Valentine's Party - Peter had forgotten all about it.

'Morning, sleepyhead,' Carmen said, suspiciously sweetly, 'I hope the sound of us working our butts off didn't disturb you?'

'Sorry,' Peter said. 'Here, let me get that for you,' he took hold of the power cord that Carmen was in danger of strangling him with and started to untangle it.

Once Carmen was out of earshot, Jared called over to him, 'Sorry, I should have warned you that she was on the warpath - I was only going to the bathroom and she's had me tidying the kitchen for the last hour and a half!'

Peter dragged the vacuum over toward the kitchen so he'd at least look busy if Carmen came back in - it was not a good idea to piss her off when she was in this mood. Jared was reaching up to put some mugs away, making his t-shirt ride up and exposing a couple of inches of skin that were just begging to be kissed. In fact, ninety percent of everything Peter wanted to do at that precise moment involved kissing Jared, then taking him back to bed and spending the rest of the day trying to find anything that was even half as good as last night. But Jared was acting as though nothing was different, so Peter just said, 'Please tell me there's coffee?'

'I think there's some in the pot, but you might need to...'

'Jared! Peter!' Carmen yelled from outside, 'Do either of you want to explain to me how a bra got stuck in the hot tub filter?!'

Jared looked at Peter, horror-stricken. 'Dude, I will give you a million bucks if you go out there and deal with her.'

'Jared, I see your pay checks - you don't _have_ a million bucks!' Peter pointed out.

'Fine... Rock Paper Scissors?' Jared asked, hopefully.

'Okay, but no cheating this time.' 

Peter lost.

He barely got a chance to speak to Jared for the rest of the day, and Peter was starting to find it a bit surreal, like the previous night had happened in a parallel universe that only he remembered. Under Carmen's watchful eye, they cleaned, tidied and got the Man Cave ready for the party, complete with Valentine's Day themed decorations and heart-shaped helium balloons, which had been Pindar's idea, although he denied it completely. Peter ended up having to make two separate trips to the supermarket; once to get everything on the list and a second time to get everything else that Jared had decided he wanted since the first list was made, but he didn't care. Everything he did was with a smile on his face and a bounce in his step. When they were finally done, Peter knew that they'd barely have time to shower and change before people started arriving and it was all he could do not to drag Jared into the bathroom with him under the pretence of saving time!

An hour later and the Cave was full to bursting with romantic revellers. Peter and Jared were both kept far too busy for most of the night with restocking the bar, dealing with breakages and a hundred and one other tasks that fell to them as hosts, to do more than nod and smile as they occasionally passed each. It seemed very unfair to Peter that everyone else got to socialise, slow dance and make out in darkened corners with their chosen partner and he didn't. Hell, he couldn't even _find_ Jared.

Eventually, Peter caught a glimpse of Jared in the hallway and he knew immediately what he was doing because he recognised the moves; the shy smile, the hand through the hair, the gentle touch of an arm. Peter would be lying if he said he wasn't a bit disappointed that Jared was hitting on a girl. He knew that they hadn't exactly made any promises to each other but he'd thought that after last night... He shook his head to try and clear his thoughts of what last night had meant to him. It'd obviously just been a comfort thing for Jared and he needed to respect that. He wondered briefly who the lucky girl getting the Franklin moves was - he knew it wasn't Hanna because he'd already seen her draped over Damien - so he took a casual step to the left... and saw Jared flirting with a guy from accounts who, if rumours were to be believed, had just broken up with his boyfriend.

The realisation hit Peter like a punch in the stomach; suddenly he couldn't breathe properly, his chest hurt and he could feel his fingers curling into fists. He had to get away...

Peter stumbled blindly through the party, knocking a couple of drinks flying. When he got outside, he ran straight into Carmen but he didn't stop, just mumbled 'Sorry' and carried on, trying to find a quiet place where he could be alone. In the corner of the yard, Peter quickly opened the gate and slipped down the side of the apartment towards the front of the building where it was cool and quiet and no one would find him. 

Away from the noise of the party, Peter stopped and took a deep breath. Then his mind replayed the image of Jared with another guy and the pain hit him all over again. He curled himself into the wall and tried desperately to pull himself together. He couldn't understand why this was so hard. He'd had _one_ night with Jared and was acting like some love struck teenager. He hadn't felt this bad when Janie had moved on, and they'd dated for over a year. But then the little voice in the back of his head - the one he hated listening to because it was usually right - pointed out that he'd kind of been dating Jared since they were fifteen. And more than that, he'd never expected Jared to move on from him...

Peter tried to tell himself that he'd just have to accept it and move on too, that their night together would have to be just a memory; something that he could think about when he was lonely or in the shower... like he hadn't already done that earlier today. He felt stupid for wanting it so much when Jared obviously wasn't interested.

Peter hadn't realised that anyone else was there until he felt a tentative hand on his shoulder. He didn't have to turn around to know that it was Jared who'd found him. 

'Peter?' The voice was soft and hesitant.

He twisted back to face Jared, a fake smile pasted on to show that everything was okay, but he knew that Jared could see he'd been crying. Peter was aiming for nonchalance with, 'Oh hi, I didn't hear you...' but Jared cut him off with a fierce kiss.

Peter froze. He wanted to push Jared away, to tell him that he had no right coming out here and kissing him when he'd just been inside hitting on someone else. But Peter couldn't stop himself from reaching for Jared, pulling him in tight and kissing him back. He tried to tell himself that maybe this was Jared's way of saying goodbye, but inside he was falling all over again...

When the kiss finally ended, Peter had more questions than answers. He started with, 'How...?'

'Carmen,' Jared replied simply. 'She dragged me away from...' he looked down, awkwardly, '... the guy I was talking to, told him that I was spoken for and practically shoved him to the floor. I think he pretty much wet himself, by the way!' Peter had to smile at that, knowing the way Carmen could kick ass when she wanted to. 'Then she marched me outside and told me to find you and sort things out.'

'Does she... know?' Peter asked.

'I think she has a pretty good idea. I told you - those walls are not soundproof!'

'Oh god,' Peter groaned, screwing his eyes shut and letting his head falling back against the brick. Then he thought about why Jared had come to find him, and he had to ask. 'That guy you were... talking to?' Peter said, opting to go with Jared's choice of words, 'You seemed kind of interested in him.' Jared looked down at the ground again. 'Were you?' 

'No!' Jared answered without hesitation. 'I was just trying to... I dunno, make sense of everything? What happened last night, with us, kinda knocked me sideways. I guess I was trying to find out if there was any part of me that was attracted to other guys or if it was just you.' Jared stepped in a little closer, 'I didn't mean to... Look, I know it was a dumb move.'

'And are you... attracted to other guys, I mean?' Oh, why did Peter's mouth keep asking questions that his brain didn't want to hear the answers to?

'Nope, it's just you, apparently,' Jared admitted with a shrug. 'I guess on some level, it's always been you.'

This time, Peter's smile was genuine. He reached out to hook his fingers into the belt loops of Jared's jeans and tugged him forwards, closing the gap between them. Their mouths met and the kiss was hot and wet and perfect. They wrapped their arms around each other, fingers tangling in hair and spent the longest time just kissing, their mouths moving together in a way that had only taken two years to become as easy as breathing.

And when Peter felt Jared's hands work their way under his t-shirt, the slight chill of his fingers making Peter gasp a little, he didn't stop him. Nor did Jared stop Peter when he ended up with one hand down the front of Jared's pants. In fact, they were well past second base and rapidly heading towards third when Peter pointed out between kisses, 'Um... maybe we should take this somewhere else? We're gonna get arrested for indecent exposure if we go any further!'

'S'okay,' Jared said, mouth still against Peter's throat, hands still doing wicked things to other parts of Peter's body, 'I know a good lawyer...'

Peter laughed, partly at the thought that Damien might have to defend them if they both got arrested and partly because they really _were_ too old to be making out at a party like teenagers, even if it _was_ their party. Eventually they managed to disentangle themselves from each other and took a minute to get themselves under control, button pants, reposition clothing and run fingers through hair. Y'know, so they didn't look quite so much like they'd just been ridden hard and put away wet!

In the silence, Jared suddenly said, 'I'm so sorry, Peter.'

'For what?' Peter asked, genuinely confused.

'For being such an ass,' Jared was starting at the floor again. 'I should never have... You weren't supposed to... I never meant to hurt you. Will you forgive me?' He looked up at Peter, hopefully.

'Of course I will, you idiot, I love you!' It just slipped out before Peter could stop it. Horrified, he quickly added, 'I mean, as a friend... Y'know, not as a... Not that I'm saying... It's just...'

'I love you too, doofus!' Jared said with a huge grin on his face, 'Now stop babbling or I'm going to have to find something to shut you up again!'

'I could go on. I mean, I _am_ a lawyer, words are kind of my thing. In fact, I could probably...'

Jared placed a hand on the nape of Peter's neck and pulled him down for a kiss that was so hot and open and dirty, that Peter thought it stood a very good chance of shutting him up for good. Fortunately for Peter, Jared eventually realised that it was cold outside and that there was actually a party going on that they were missing, so he took hold of Peter's hand and wordlessly lead him back up into the yard. When they turned the corner and saw the number of people outside, Peter quickly dropped Jared's hand, but Jared just gripped onto him even more tightly. If anyone noticed, they didn't say anything.

Inside, the music playing was slow and sensual, and couples were moving together on the makeshift dance floor they'd created by pushing the pool table back. 'Come on, we're gonna dance,' Jared said, still leading Peter by the hand.

'Together?!' Peter asked, his eyes wide. Dancing wasn't exactly his strong suit, but that was the least of his worries right then.

'Why? You ashamed of me, Peter?' Jared asked, a mischievous grin on his face. Peter grinned back, shaking his head. Jared was right - after twenty years, they really had nothing to hide. They moved onto the dance floor and wrapped their arms around each other, swaying gently to the beat of the music, just like every other couple. And if anyone noticed, they still didn't say anything.

'Wow,' Peter whispered in Jared's ear after a few minutes, 'I always wondered what a room full of raised eyebrows sounded like.'

'You must be confused,' Jared whispered back, holding Peter a little bit tighter, 'That's the sound of a collective damn not being given.'

'Well, in that case...' Peter pulled away from Jared's embrace and leaned down, bringing their lips together. They kissed, gently and longingly, not really caring who was watching them any more because Peter was a tiny bit in love with his best friend and that was more than okay. When they broke apart, he resisted the urge to check whether anyone was staring at them, although it wasn't as if several people hadn't already seen them kiss each other. Peter grinned at the thought that popped into his head. 'You should have got Damien to bet that we wouldn't do this again - we could have made a killing!'

Jared wrapped his arms around Peter's neck and kissed him softly on the lips. 'Who says I didn't?' he replied with a grin.

**~~~~END~~~~**


End file.
